The Evolution Compendium

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was taken aback.

"A dragon-type Pet Beast? And its materials are from a King-level Pet Beast?"

"That's too much! If it's really a dragon-type Pet Beast, how could you bear to part with it?"

"I don't believe it! Let me see, quick!"

"..."

The appearance of the Dragon-Pointing Pen caused quite a stir at the assembly.

The combat strength, potential, and bloodline purity of dragon-type Pet Beasts were renowned, consistently placing them at the top of Pet Beast rankings, and the value of their raw materials was astonishing.

"So, what is its Rule? What are its capabilities?" a representative from the Phantom Thorns faction inquired first.

The high-ranking official of the Faceless Association didn't hide anything, explaining, "The Rule of the Dragon-Pointing Pen is the Law of Illusion; it creates illusions to confuse opponents."

"To use it, you must first offer a blood sacrifice of some living creatures to nourish the Dragon-Pointing Pen. After activation, you inject it with Spiritual."

"Whatever you imagine, it will draw for you, making the illusory appear real."

After he finished speaking, everyone was stunned and looked at each other in dismay.

The high-ranking Dragon Slayer member who had spoken earlier hesitated, then said unwillingly, "Is it just for painting? Are there no other special features?"

When it comes to painting, some special Pet Beasts can do that well too, like the Paper Kite Demon, Ink Treasure, or Pen Child. Wait a minute... why even pay attention to such a useless ability?

The Faceless Association high-ranking official shook his head, saying, "So far, there are no other abilities."

Immediately, the Beast Taming experts present lost all interest.

No wonder the Faceless Association was selling this Treasure. If it was chosen merely to be a painter's tool, it would be far too extravagant.

Most crucially, the Dragon-Pointing Pen was sealed in amber and branded with Restriction Runes, yet everyone could still sense a faint, distorted power seeping out. This indicated that the Treasure within had begun to leak its Power of Rules and could devolve into an ordinary item at any moment.

Such a Treasure could only be called defective. Judging by the Faceless Association's attitude, they had evidently suffered significant losses trying to uncover the Treasure's abilities and were now forced to sell it.

Indeed, the group of Beast Taming experts showed little interest.

The high-ranking official from the Faceless Association couldn't help but give a bitter smile. He explained that the Dragon-Pointing Pen hadn't been like this initially. On the day the ancient tomb was unsealed, it had resembled a golden dragon, soaring high into the ninth heaven with a vast and magnificent aura. However, it seemed to have been contaminated by this blood-red spiderweb. The higher-ups had invested a vast amount of resources to remove the contamination, but they had only managed to barely halt the erosion from the blood-red corruption.

After more than a year of effort, the Dragon-Pointing Pen had shriveled into a tiny thing. Even sealed in amber, the loss of its power could not be stopped.

We have to sell it quickly while it still has some value. No matter how useless it seems, it's still a Treasure. Maybe someone will actually want it... Perhaps that person is a painter.

"The materials of the Dragon-Pointing Pen are Dawn Star-level materials."

"Therefore, I'm not asking for Dawn Star-level materials of equivalent value; three Gold-level shadow-type materials will suffice," the high-ranking official of the Faceless Association announced the terms.

His heart ached; their Faceless Association had invested ten times this asking price in resources, only to discover it merely had a drawing ability! Damn it!

As a result, there was little response from the crowd. Defective Treasures had appeared in the past; it wasn't unheard of.

Someone from the Phantom Thorns faction even spoke up, offering a single Gold-level material in a manner akin to giving charity. This left the Faceless Association official expressionless.

Ridiculous! The very amber I used for the seal is a Gold-level material itself!

Just as he was about to raise the price, an indifferent voice interjected.

"Painting, you say? I happen to have a fondness for art myself," Chu Yi stated calmly.

Immediately, everyone looked curiously at this peculiar expert. Princess Gu Guan, who was nearby, also glanced over frequently, tilting her head as her purple eyes blinked.

The high-ranking official of the Faceless Association was stunned for a moment, then said, "At least... two Gold-level materials, and both must be shadow-type."

Sensing this price might be too high and fearing the expert might back out, he quickly added in a softer tone, "This was crafted from Dawn Star-level materials. It's merely been contaminated; many of its abilities have yet to be discovered! Our Faceless Association hasn't the fortune to make use of it. Given your appreciation for painting, perhaps this item is destined to be yours."

He launched into a flurry of praise, elaborating on the Dragon-Pointing Pen's initial wondrous manifestation—a golden dragon soaring into the ninth heaven—describing various scenes with extravagant embellishments.

"I don't have Gold-level materials, but I do have some concoctions." Chu Yi nodded. With a wave of his sleeve, a glass of red wine appeared before him.

The wine was as thick as fresh blood, with countless shadowy Ghost Hands writhing within it.

This was a 2-star feast item, suitable for shadow-type Pet Beasts. He had just mentally searched for its recipe; its quality was 'Delicious.' He had an abundance of ingredients, even incorporating a portion of the myriad writhing shadows that served as a mere backdrop.

"What is this...?" The Faceless Association official frowned. But the next moment, as he made a grasping gesture from afar and merely glanced at the glass, the Pet Beast within his Beast Taming Space conveyed an intense wave of greed.

"What?!" His expression was one of utter astonishment.

His primary Pet Beast was an Ender Dragon, a mid-tier Commander-rank, with shadow as its main attribute and dragon as its secondary. For such a powerful Pet Beast to develop an instinctual craving for this feast item was unbelievable.

It was as if... consuming this could allow his Ender Dragon to undergo a complete metamorphosis and ascend to an entirely new tier!

For him, whose progress in Cultivation was exceedingly slow, this was akin to fortune itself knocking vigorously on his door. This was more than ten times more valuable than Gold-level materials!

"Alright, the Dragon-Pointing Pen is yours."

Afraid this expert might have second thoughts, he immediately handed over the Dragon-Pointing Pen, transmitting a reminder via voice projection, "There's a curse within the Dragon-Pointing Pen. Be extremely careful when handling it, and don't let the curse latch onto you."

With that said, he was the first to rise and depart, leaving behind a bewildered crowd.

Even the few Beast Taming experts who had been bidding were dumbfounded. How could he just leave so abruptly and decisively? What did that man give you? A glass of '82 red wine?

At this point, everyone turned their gaze to Chu Yi. The swiftness of the transaction implied that what he had offered was of immense value.

Chu Yi remained silent, stroking the Dragon-Pointing Pen as the corners of his mouth curved into a subtle smile.

According to the usual tropes, an item dismissed by others as a useless piece of junk, upon appraisal by the protagonist, always turns out to be a Divine Artifact! Of course, being as upright and righteous as he always was, he definitely wouldn't use this pen in conjunction with some kind of 'painted skin' technique to draw two-dimensional anime girls. Nor would he be assembling a maid café... Still less would he be sinking into a harem surrounded by beauties, indulging in pleasure without striving for improvement, engaging in role-play, or... cultivating profound 'brotherly' bonds... He was simply interested in the art of painting, that's all.

The Evolutionary Atlas flipped rapidly, its power once again akin to an omniscient, omnipotent deity wielding truth itself as it began to appraise the Dragon-Pointing Pen.

A few moments later, Chu Yi's pupils contracted, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, his face a mask of disbelief.

It really only has a painting ability? Freaking seriously?

The Dragon-Pointing Pen, crafted from a section of a Deep Sea Mirage Dragon's tail and imbued with the Law of Illusion, could bring paintings to life, making them as vivid as reality.

Simultaneously, Chu Yi also uncovered another secret of the Dragon-Pointing Pen. The so-called 'blood curse' wasn't a curse at all; the pen was simply famished. This explained why the Faceless Association had resorted to blood sacrifices, feeding it blood and Spiritual. However, the quality of their offerings was too low, causing the Dragon-Pointing Pen to become starved to the point of debilitation. Those blood-red spiderwebs were merely a manifestation of its weakened state from extreme hunger.